LINGUIST List 12.7

Sun Jan 7 2001

Qs: Malay Resources, Null Subj./Coordinated Clauses

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>

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Can anyone tell me where I can find linguistic resources ( acoustic and
lexical items ) for Malay. I have searched the internet thoroughly but
failed to find lots of resources. It is hoped that someone can help me with
this matter.
Thank you.

Dear linguists,
I don't know if this topic has already been studied. If I am making
questions which have already been answered, please let me know and point me
the references.
When I was studying about the null subject parameter in Brazilian
Portuguese, I became very intrigued with the fact that in coordinated
clauses, the subject of the second clause can be omitted even in
non-pro-drop languages (like English). For example, a sentence like (1) is
perfectly grammatical:
(1) I travel a lot and see wonderful things
In (Brazilian) Portuguese, for example, the sentence could be:
(1a) Viajo muito e vejo coisas maravilhosas
without the subject (i. e., with omitted subject) in both clauses; or:
(1b) Eu viajo muito e vejo coisas maravilhosas
with the subject expressed only in the first clause. Sentence (1c) is more
complicated:
(1c) ? Eu viajo muito e eu vejo coisas maravilhosas
with both subjects expressed; sentence (1d) is agrammatical:
(1d) * Viajo muito e eu vejo coisas maravilhosas
with only the second subject expressed.
My first question is: in English, is the deletion of the second subject a
case of ellipsis? If so, may we consider it a case of ellipsis also in
(Brazilian) Portuguese? (We normally don't consider null subjects in
Portuguese as elliptical, because an ellipsis implies that the "thing being
omitted" has already been expressed, which is not always the case).
I analysed these data in another non-pro-drop language, French. It seems
to me that this language "behaves differently":
(2) ?? Je voyage beaucoup et vois de tr�s belles choses
To me, this sentence is agrammatical, but I want to check it with native
speakers.
My second question is: if in coordinated clauses the subject of the second
clause can be omitted even in non-pro-drop languages, may sentence (2) be
an argument to demonstrate that French has clitic subjects?
I will be glad to post a summary if there are enough responses.
Sincerely,
Bruno Oliveira Maroneze